If there's an archetype when it comes to pickups, Ford's F-150 has to claim the crown. The F-Series, which includes the F-150, has been on the road for 55 years and the best-selling truck line in America for 26 years. And in 2003, the Texas Auto Writers Association named the F-150 the Truck of Texas. That's about as good as it gets. It's also setting the bar awfully high for every revision and redesign of the F-150, because tinkering with this truck is tinkering with a legend, so you'd better get it right.

This time, Ford got it exactly right. As soon as you set eyes on the new version of the F-150, you know it's going to be good. The pseudo-Dodge rounded edges are gone, replaced by strong, angular lines that are reminiscent of Ford's heavy-duty F-250 and F-350 models. This delivers a continuity of design that's now carried through the entire truck fleet, so when you see a Ford, it looks like a Ford. More importantly, the F-150 now looks even more like a working truck. Whether you actually use your truck for work or just to drive to and from the grocery store, you want it to appear like it's ready to pull on the gloves and work 'til you both drop, and the F-150 does.

Appearances have to be backed up by performance, though. To that end, the new F-150 gets a choice of engines, either a 4.6L Triton or a 5.4L Triton, both V8s. The 5.4L Triton that powers the BW test truck delivers a full 300 hp and 365 pounds/feet of torque, so the truck easily climbs steep hills, merges onto the Interstate, or passes slower traffic on the country highways with authority. When it comes to handling a load, the F-150 performs its towing chores like a champ, all the way up to the listed towing capacity of 9,500 pounds. The only beef, as is so often the case with Ford products, is that the fuel economy is miserable, only 15 city/19 highway with the 5.4L Triton and a 4-by-2 setup. Surely they can do better than that in Dearborn, Michigan.

It seemed that Ford softened the F-150's ride ever so slightly this year, but even a somewhat softer Ford ride is still stiffer than some people are going to want. If you want your truck to ride like a truck, not like a land yacht, because you need that stiffness in the suspension to handle the loads without going all squishy, then you'll like the F-150.

The interior is going to win more hearts and minds than the ride. The new seats are great, albeit a bit blocky looking, but they're supportive without being hard and comfortable even on long road trips. You want to sit comfortably. And now, you can.

Ford's proud of the safety features on the new F-150, and it should be. It's worth noting how far the engine has been pulled away from the front bumper and grill, greatly increasing the crumple zone and reducing the likely damage to the engine in a front-end collision. Add in the improved air-bag performance (sensors adjust air-bag response according to the weight of the front seat occupants as well as by severity of impact), and you have a truck that's substantially safer than previous versions.

It's always a risky proposition to redesign a vehicle as popular and successful as Ford's F-150, but in this case, it's a redesign that works.